Mail-chute.



J. P. LINTON.

MAIL CHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I4, 1914.

Pmnted ,my 3, 19517u www@ @MTBE ATTENTI FFllClld,

T01-IN P. LINTON, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNGR TO CU'ILER MAILCHUTE COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MAIL-CHUTE.

rasante.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, fllt.,

Application led February 14, 1914. Serial NoA 818,800;

T0 allee/tom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-1N P. LINTON, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, resid# ing in the city of Montreal, in the'Province of Quebecand Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mail-Chutes; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and tothe reference-numerals marked thereon.

My-invention has reference to mail chutes for use inbuildings and of thetype consisting of. sectional channels with their flat sides securedagainst the wall of the building or a back carried thereby, the front ofsuch channel consisting of a removable panel, and, as heretoforeconstructed, having a separately removable strap by which a` pair ofadjacent panels were locked in place.

Heretofore some difliculty has been eX perienced with these mail chutesowing to the fact that the locking devices were hinged independently ofthe removable panels, and have become deranged and damaged by carelessoperation owing to the leverage on same being so great, on account ofthe length of the locking strap in proportion to the length of the hingecarrying the same. As a result of this the engagement of the lockingdevices were not uniform and consequently the lock, although effective,sooner or later might become mutilated and its ready operationinterfered with.

Another disadvantage was that if by improper erection the frontedges ofthe channel sections of the chute failed to come into proper alinement,the molding on the panels might be caused to project more at one sidethan the other, with the result that the hinge bar could not be properlyclosed and locked, and4 in installations having more than two panels tocomplete the chute from floor to` ceiling, some difficulty was en*countered by the operator in handling the heavy plate glass panels whenstanding on Y a ladder or the like and removing the panels for thepurpose of clearing a blockage. To overcome the above objections is theobject of this invention; and to this end I attach a locking straprigidly to the vtop of the lower panel and arrange lthe locking devicestherein midway of its length; coQacting locking devices ybeing mountedon the chute frame midway of its width and in position to be engaged b ythe locking devices on the strap. This construction cures all thedefects in htting above mentioned. ln order to sustain the upper panelwhen moved to uncover the stationary chute portion behind it I havepivoted it to the chute frame.

F or a full. understanding, however, of my invention reference is had tothe accompanyingY drawings forming apart of this specification, in whichsimilar' reference characters indicate the same parts, and wherein:

Figure l illustrates in front elevation the top of an upper panel,partlybroken away, and in vertical section, to illustrate the pivotedconnection between the panel and frame;

F ig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, also partly broken away and partlyin section;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the abutting ends of two panels,illustrating particularly the locking strap partly broken away;

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view, taken on line A -A of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line X-X of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line B-B of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is` also a vertical sectional view tal-ren on line C-C of Fig. l,and

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the bracket of the chute, with thelocking strap and panels removed, the locking bolt appearing intransverse section.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several iiguresindicate thesame parts.

The members of the chute are in the main of the construction usuallyemployed in the installations found in many public and office buildings,and will be first briefly mentioned.

rIhe chute is divided4 into vertical sections, each comprisingchute-members of channel cross-section and having jambs c at theopposite sides of itsopen front to receive the panels as shown in Fig.5. The lowermost of these chute-members is set into a base resting onthe floor, which is not shown as it forms no essential part of myinvention. The upper end of the bottom section engages a stationarybracket e and terminates at a point adjacent to the lower end of thesection above, which latter has its lower end in engagement with saidbracket, and these parts are constructed in the manner which will now beset forth to overcome the defects already pointed out.

According to my invention the locking strap l0 is secured rigidly to thetop of the bottom panel by means oi the legs Z fastened by screws 2 tothe molding lw.

The strap is in two parts which are suitably secured together, one ofoblong form and dec-orative contigui-ation in cross-section and thcother part consisting of a bar l2 with the legs Z cast thereon. Asimilar bar 12 having upwardly extending legs Z is secured to the lowerend of the upper panel by screws 2.

The pivot bar 20 has downwardly extending legs V by which it is rigidlyconnected to the top of the moldings of the upper panel, Fig. l. Thepivots indicated at g are in form of screws threaded through a bracketin the form of a frame, the front bar 25 of which is of reduced depth toaccommodate the pivot bar, while the side bars 1/ are wider to carry thepivots above mentioned, and the rear bar is still wider to aiiord meansfor fastening by screws 26 to the back board, Fig. 2.

The bracket is fastened to the usual ceiling connection 30 by rivets 31.

The upper panelis hung from the pivots g by means of sockets g in thebar 2O into which sockets the pivots rotatably engage. The strap 10attached to the upper end of the lower panel extends, when the panel isin position, in front of the bar 12 at the lower end of the upper paneland prevents forward movement thereof.

In order to obtain access to the chute, the strap l0 is unlocked asusual by a key which, when inserted and turned disconnects the bolt 50upon the strap from the pairs of locking blocks 57 upon the bracket e.This action releases the lower panel and permits it to be displaced fromthe chute body by a movement laterally of its surface. The upper panelis also freed when the lower panel is displaced and may be swungoutwardly on its pivots g without the necessity of being lifted. Thismovement of the upper panel is also laterally or transversely of thesurface of the panel, as distinguished from a longitudinally slidingmovement.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mail chute, the combination with abutting channel sections, andthe removable front panels therefor, of a locking strap carried by andrigidly mounted on one of the panels and covering their abutting ends, alocking device located on said strap, a stationary locking barassociated with one of the channel sections located underneath thelocking strap and adapted to be engaged by the locking device on thestrap.

2. In a mail chute, the combination with abutting channel sections and atransversely extending stationary locking bar associated with one ofthem having an engaging projection intermediate the ends, of theremovable front panels, a locking strap carried by and rigidly mountedon one of them and covering their abutting ends and the stationarylocking bar and a locking device located on said stra-p and engaging theprojection to secure the strap and panel in position.

3. In a mail chute the combination with abutting conduit sectionsarranged in vertical series, each consisting of a stationary member ofchannel cross-section and a laterally displaceable front panel and alocking strap covering the abutting ends of two panels, of meanspivotally securingone'of the panels to the chute member covered therebyand means for locking the last mentioned panel to the chute,substantially as described.

4. In a mail chute the combinationwith abutting conduit sect-ionsarranged in vertical series, each consisting of a stationary member ofchannel-cross-section Vand a laterally displaceable front panel and alocking strap covering the abutting ends of two panels, of means rigidlysecuring the locking strap to one panel and arranging such strap tooverlap the contiguous edge of the .v

adjoining panel, means for locking'the strap to the channel member, andmeans pivotally securing the said adjoining panel to the chute membercovered thereby, substantially as described.

l 5. In a mail chute the combination with abutting conduit sectionsarranged in vertical series, each consisting of a stationary member ofchannel cross-section and a laterally displaceable front panel and alocking strap covering the abutting endsof two panels, of means rigidlysecuring thelocking strap to one panel and arranging such strap tooverlap the contiguous edge of the adjoining panel, means for lockingthe. strap to the Y channel member, and means pivotally securing theopposite end of the said adjoining panel to the chute member carriedthereby, substantially as described.

6. In a mail chute of the type described, the combination of a chutemember of channel cross-section and a panel forming the front of thechute member, the upper end of the panel being provided with sockets atthe sides, and the chute member being provided Awith pivots rotatablyengaging the sockets, substantially as described.

7 In a mail chute of the type described, the combination of a chutemember of channel cross-section and a panel forming the front of thechute member, the upper end of the panel being provided with a cross-barwith legs rigidly secured to the sides of the panel such cross-barhaving sockets at the sides, and the chute member being provided withpivots rotatably engaging the sockets, substantially as described.

8. In a mail chute of the type described, the combination of a chutemember of channel cross-section and a panel forming the front of thechute member, the upper end of the panel being provided With sockets atthe side of the panel, and the chute member being provided with abracket having mounted therein a pair of pivots rotatably engaging thesockets, substantially as described.

9. In a mail chute of the type described, the combination of a chutemember of channel cross-section and a panel forming the front of thechute member, the upper end of the panel being provided With sockets atthe sides, and the chute member being provided With a frame rigidlysecured thereto and adapted to accommodate the said upper end of thepanel, the sides of the frame being of relatively increased depth andhaving screws threaded therethrough and serving as pivots rotatablyengaging the sockets, substantially as described.

- JOHN P. LINTON.

Witnesses:

Gno. INGLES,

J. R. mADowoRorT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

